Samsung to build next wave of Virgin Media TiVo boxes

Consumer electronics giant Samsung has won a contract to build Virgin Media TiVo boxes going forward. Virgin Media had previously used Cisco for the first wave of Internet-connected PVRs, and will continue to do so, but Sammy-built set-top-boxes will also start to roll-out from late 2011.

Of course, this isn't the first time that Virgin Media has used Samsung as a manufacturer. The Korean company was previously given the contract to supply smaller, faster, more efficient V+ HD set-top-boxes to replace those from Scientific Atlanta. And it proved to be a welcome move as the new boxes seemed to offer better reliability.

However, this time around, Pocket-lint has been informed that the innards will be nigh-on identical to their Cisco-made counterparts, and that a software patch is on the way which may help any niggling TiVo issues (and add support for an iPad app).

"This is a major win for Samsung Electronics and one that will strengthen Samsung’s position as a technology supplier. We are proud to have built upon our strategic relationship with Virgin Media that will allow both companies to continue to lead innovation and offer consumers the latest technology in the personal video recorder market," says Warren Hampton, general manager of the Samsung's STB – AV Division.

"Our partnership with Samsung will help bring the benefits of next generation digital entertainment to even more homes across the UK," adds Ian Mecklenburgh, Virgin Media's director of Consumer Platforms & Devices.

Details on the new box are unforthcoming at present, as both Samsung and Virgin Media wish to publicly unveil it at the IBC broadcast convention in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on 9 September. However, we'll regale you with more information as we get it.

UPDATE: Pocket-lint has managed to get its hands on a pic of the new Samsung box... It's not a million miles away (in design) to the current Cisco model. However, it'll be what's inside that counts.

UPDATE 2: Eagle-eyed readers may notice some changes in the text above, as we have been reliably informed by our sources at Virgin Media that Cisco will continue to manufacture TiVo set-top-boxes alongside new supplier Samsung. Indeed, after the confusion, Cisco itself wrote about the situation on its own blog stating, "Per a long-standing agreement, we manufacture and supply TiVo-based digital set-top boxes to Virgin... Tell all your friends, thanks for helping us set the record straight, and to our competition: Bring it.."

How are you getting on with your TiVo box? Let us know in the comments below...

Our senior ed of news and features has been a tech and games journalist for more than 27 years, and has been with Pocket-lint for over five. Rik has edited a number of videogame magazines in the past, was deputy editor of Home Cinema Choice, and his TV career included stints as co-presenter of Channel 4's Gamesmaster and Sky One’s Games World.